Other Features

“It’s like a big, giant beach!”

Spring seems to have returned for a change, and judging by the weather forecast, I think it’s going to be here for at least a week. And so quite a few of the people at JMU go into springtime mode, and break out the towels and head out to the quad. As a result, it really does make the quad look like a giant beach, essentially, but with a lot more clothes. Still, you have to admit – nothing beats a good time spent outside if outdoors in the sun is what makes you tick. Me, I love the outdoors, but only if I’m doing something with it. For instance, when I shot this photograph at left, I was crossing in front of Wilson Hall, in order to get to the area behind Maury to do my new “Springtime Blossoms” photo essay. Then let’s not forget the urban environment – I love taking outdoor photos in cities for some reason. Go figure. Still, it’s kind of interesting having the quad all full like this and looking almost like an inland beach. Then there’s people like me. The ground’s too hard. There’s something sticking me. There’s bugs all over the place. There’s something crawling on me. Obsessive efforts not to get grass stains. And it goes on and on. Did I mention I’m not fun to be with outside sometimes? Yeah. And then having class on the quad is always a bad idea. With so many people out doing whatever, and so much noise from people playing and such, it makes concentrating on stuff impossible. Still, for those who enjoy it, warm days make the quad a great alternative to reality, kind of like a makeshift beach.